Portable skid



29, 1931. w. STUEBING, JR

PORTABLE SKID Filed Sept. 9. 1927 Ziwuentoz Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM STU EIBING, JR., CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE'YALE & TOWNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STAJEEORD, CONNECTICUT, A.

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT PORTABLE SKID Application filed September 9, 1927. Serial- No. 218,408.

This invention relates to portable skids or platforms of the type used for supporting loads to be transported on lifting trucks.

In the transportation of goods from the factory to a jobber or consumer considerable time and labor of handling can frequently be saved by shipping the goods upon the skids upon which they are handled in the factory. By this arrangement the skids as loaded in the factory can be moved on lifting trucks into freight cars and at the destination they can be similarly moved out of the freight cars on other lifting trucks thus saving the labor of the usual loading and unloading within the freight cars. After delivery of the goods the skids must then be returned to the original shipping point. Skids, however, as usually constructed, are bulky and cumbersome to ship because of the projecting legs.

It isan object of the present invention to provide animproved skid which can be compactly loaded for reshipment to the shipping point after it has been used in transport.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a skid having detachable legs constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure-2 is a fragmentary side view with portions in section illustrating details of construction whereby the legs are attached to the skid, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the leg and bracket. i

The skid shown for the purpose of illustrating the inventlon comprises transverse parallel floor members such as boards 5 which are preferably secured to suitable supporting tie members constructed to form trusses holding the ends of the boards in parallel relation to each other. Each truss may preferably comprise an upper angle bar 6, engaging the tops of the boards and a low-,

er angle bar 7 engaging the lower faces of the boards. The upper and lower bars ma be fastened together by means of bolts 8 w 'ch clamp the boards securely therebetween to form a rigid floor.

Ordinarily the legs of lifting truck skids are permanently attached to the floor,that is, they cannot be removed without completely or partially disassembling the floor. According to the present invention, however, the legs 10 are so secured to the floor that they will constitute rigid supports for the skid when attached thereto but may be readily removed from the floor for compact shipment when the skid is not in use. Thus, in the arrangement shown, the floor may be provided with suitable brackets 12 which may be conveniently secured to the truss members by means of the bolts 8 which hold the anglebars forming the truss members together asfipreviously described. The legs 10 are preferably U-shaped and are preferably resilient in order that they may be sprung into position between the brackets. In the structure shown the legs are provided with lugs 14 or flanges having flat upper surfaces bearing against portions of the under surfaces of the angle bars 7 forming part of the skid floor and the brackets have mating recesses 15 so that the legs are in a measure interlocked with. the brackets. Also the brackets-may preferably be provided with side flanges 16 which confine the legs against lateral movement. As will be observed, the 0 weight of the load on the sln'ds tends to spread the legs and cause them to engage the brackets'more firmly.

The legs-may be made sufliciently resilient to permit them to be sprung into place and removed without the use of tools or, in case stronger legs are nece$ary, a. tool-may be provided to facilitate attachment and removal.

In assembling the skids, the angle bars 6 may bev supported in a suitable frame in inverted position and the boards 5, which may be of random widths, laid in. The lower angle bars and the leg brackets. may then be positioned and the whole secured to ether by the bolts 12 to form a rigid floor. T ereafter the legs 10 may be sprung into place between the brackets. 7

It will be understood that the inventionmay be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A portable skid for use with lifting trucks comprising, in combination, a loa supporting floor, leg retaining brackets secured to the floor, each of said brackets being provided with a recess to receive the end of a leg, said recess formin with the bottom of said floor a leg retaining pocket, a U- shaped leg of flat resilient material havin its free ends bent over to form flanges, sai flanges having extended surface engagement with said pocket on at least four sides and said leg adjacent said flange having extended surface engagement with said bracket on at least three sides.

2. A portable skid for use with lifting trucks comprising in combination a load supporting floor, legs held thereon by their inherent resiliency, leg engaging and retaining members for each leg and each having channels presenting bottom and side surfaces, the bottom surfaces of said channels intersecting to form a transverse shoulder, said members being secured to the floor in spaced relation and with a channel ofbne member opening toward a channel of said other member, and each leg being U-shaped and having a flange at each end and a resilient portion between its ends toyieldingly hold said flange in engagement with one of said channels and to hold an end portion of the le adjacent to said flangein positionbetween the side surfaces of the other of said channels whereby said side surfaces engage lateral end portions of the leg to positively oppose lateral displacement thereof.

3. A portable skid for use with lifting trucks comprising in combination a load supporting floor, a U-shaped leg held thereon by its inherent resiliency and having end flanges and a resilient portion intermediate said flanges, and spaced leg engaging and retaining members secured to said floor and each having a channel to receive one of said end flanges and downwardly extending portions disposed along said leg to oppose lateral displacement thereof from operative assembled position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 8th day of September, 1927.

WILLIAM STUEBING, JR. 

